Apparatus for dyeing textile material

ABSTRACT

A dyeing apparatus comprising a closed cylindrical container divided by an intermediate bottom into an upper space containing a package of the material to be dyed and a lower space containing a cylinder in which a piston is reciprocable, the inside and outside of the package being connected by passages in the intermediate bottom to chambers above and below the piston, respectively, within the cylinder.

United States Patent Felber 1 1 Sept. 4, 1973 [54] APPARATUS FOR DYEING TEXTILE 1,623,548 4/1927 Nicsen 259/98 UX MATERIAL 2,437,987 3/1948 Wolfenden.. 3,092,990 6/1963 Schyns........ Inventor: Norbert Felber, Ultikonllurlch, 3,087,322 4/1963 Bahlo 1. 68 189 Switzerland FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [73] Ass'gneez Pre.tema Bumensdmf 922,289 3 1963 Great Britain 68 189 Sw1tzerland Filedi 26, 1971 Primary ExaminerWayne A. Morse, Jr. [21] AppL NO; 192 387 Assistant Examiner-Arthur 0. Henderson Attorney-A. T. Stratton et a1.

[30] Foreign Appllcvat on Prlorlty Data ABSTRACT Oct. 26, 1970 Switzerland 15829/70 A dyeing apparatus comprising a closed cylindrical 52 US. c1. 68/189, 68/192 container divided y an intermediate bottom into an 51 1111. C1. B056 8/02, B050 9/14 upper Space containing a P g of the material to be [58] Field of Search 68/189, 150, 188, y and a lower Space Containing a cylinder in which 193 92; 59 9 a piston is reciprocable, the inside and outside of the package being connected by passages in the intermedi- 56] References Cited ate bottom to chambers above and below the piston,

UNITED STATES PATENTS respectively, within the cylinder. 1,605,412 11/1926 Williams 259/98 UX 4 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure 7-4 6 9 14 80 /1O 2 O 2 l ,/19 25 M l APPARATUS FOR DYEING TEXTILE MATERIAL Apparatus for dyeing textile material is known in which such material is dyed under constant pressure conditions. The supporting member which is to carry the textile material is comprised within a container, e.g., a cylinder, filled with a dye liquid, and is moved to and fro by means of a piston. This piston serves both as a pump piston within the container and as a base for the supporting member.

Since in the lowemiost position of the piston, the liquid dye comprised beneath it is not displaced, a zone of stagnant dye occurs at the bottom of the container. As the dyeing process advances, the dyestuff concentration in the dyeing liquid decreases faster above the piston than in the stagnant dye below the piston. Thereby, erroneous indications are obtained when samples of the dye are taken at the bottom to supervise the dye extraction.

The present invention is directed to an apparatus for dyeing textile material by means of a liquid dye, comprising a closed container for receiving said dye, a supporting member for the textile material arranged within said container, and means for causing said liquid dye to flow alternately in opposite directions through the textile material.

One object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the above kind in which the supporting member may be mounted stationary in the said container.

Another object of this invention is to provide such an apparatus in which the pumping means for circulating the dye through the textile material is separable from, and movable independently of, the supporting member for the latter.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the kind considered in which the dye is forced alternately from the inside to the outside and from the latter back to the inside of the package of textile material while the dye is caused to flow in alternate directions.

Still another object of the invention is to proivde an apparatus of the kind considered in which substantially the entire dye is prevented from stagnating in the pumping means.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the description now to follow, of an example thereof which is schematically represented in the sole figure of the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, 1 indicates a container for the liquid dye, made e.g., from acid-resistant steel and shaped as a cylinder with a supporting flange. Within the container 1, an inner cylinder 2 is centered coaxially therewith at its upper end by means of an intermediate bottom extending across the container. A piston 3 with piston-rod 4 is reciprocable in the cylinder 2, e.g., by means of a motor-driven crankshaft (not shown). For observing the dyeing process, openings 14 are provided in the wall of container 1 and a glass cylinder which is retained at its ends by sealing rings 13 bounds the space within the container over the length of these openings. A threaded plug 11 with a sealing gasket 12 forms the upper closure of the container 1 and glass cylinder 10.

The textile material to be dyed is supported, for example, by a perforated hollow cylinder or tube 6 on which the material 7 is wound. With the plug 11 removed, the whole coil formed by the hollow cylinder 6 with the material 7 wound thereon is inserted from above into the glass cylinder 10 and centered on a seat 25 provided on the intermediate bottom 5. A cap 8 integral with a rod 9 threaded at its lower end closes the tube 6 at the upper end thereof and by means of its screw thread 21 presses it against the intermediate bottom 5.

For heating the dye, an electric heating coil 16 surrounding a zone of the lower part of container 1 may be provided, and for cooling it, an annular cooling jacket 15 through which a cooling liquid is circulated may be arranged around another zone of that part of the container. The dye outlet pipe 17 leads to a drainage cock (not shown). A stuffing box 18 seals the passage of piston rod 4 through the bottom of the container 1.

When, in the apparatus into which a textile material coil has been inserted as described, the piston rod 4 is moved upwards as indicated by the arrow A, the liquid dye contained in the space C above the piston 3 is forced thorugh the passages 22 in the intermediate bottom 5 and through the holes of the perforated tube 6, whence it flows radially through the textile material 7 to be dyed, as indicated by arrows l9. Thereupon, it passes through further passages 23 in the intermediate bottom 5 and by ports 20 in the wall of the inner cylinder 2 it reaches the space D below the piston 3. Reversal of the movement of piston 3 causes the dye to reverse the sense of its flow, whereby dye which has been heated in the annular space 24 between the cylinder 2 and the wall of container 1 by means of the electric heating coil 16 is circulated upwards. Thus the dye is prevented from stagnating in any part of the apparatus. After the dyeing of a charge of textile material has been completed, the heating coil 16 is switched off and cooling liquid is circulated through the cooling jacket 15 while the piston 3 continues to be moved up and down until the spent liquid dye has cooled off sufficiently to be drained through the outlet pipe 17 by opening its cock. The dyed charge of textile material is then removed after unscrewing the plug 11 and the cap 8 with rod 9.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for dyeing textile material by means of a dye, said apparatus comprising a closed container adapted for being supplied with a dye, a hollow fluidpermeable supporting member for said textile material and means for causing said dye to flow in alternate directions through said textile material, said container including an intermediate bottom, said supporting member being securely mounted on said intermediate bottom within said container in an upper portion thereof, said means comprising a cylinder mounted in said container below said intermediate bottom and remote from said supporting member, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder and defining therein two working spaces, said intermedaite bottom having a first passage connecting one of said working spaces with the interior of said supporting member and a second passage connecting the other of said working spaces with the exterior of said hollow supporting member such that both the inner and the outer surface of said cylinder are exposed to said dye, and heating means surrounding said container in the lower portion thereof containing said cylinder.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said container defines an annular space with said cylinder which is axially aligned with a space formed between the container and the textile material on said supporting member, said spaces freely communicating with one another via said second passage.

1 i t i 

1. Apparatus for dyeing textile material by means of a dye, said apparatus comprising a closed container adapted for being supplied with a dye, a hollow fluid-permeable supporting member for said textile material and means for causing said dye to flow in alternate directions through said textile material, said container including an intermediate bottom, said supporting member being securely mounted on said intermediate bottom within said container in an upper portion thereof, said means comprising a cylinder mounted in said container below said intermediate bottom and remote from said supporting member, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder and defining therein two working spaces, said intermedaite bottom having a first passage connecting one of said working spaces with the interior of said supporting member and a second passage connecting the other of said working spaces with the exterior of said hollow supporting member such that both the inner and the outer surface of said cylinder are exposed to said dye, and heating means surrounding said container in the lower portion thereof containing said cylinder.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a jacket defining an annular chamber surrounding said container for circulating a cooling liquid therearound.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cylinder is provided with ports in the lowermost portion thereof connecting the interior and exterior thereof.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said container defines an annular space with said cylinder which is axIally aligned with a space formed between the container and the textile material on said supporting member, said spaces freely communicating with one another via said second passage. 